German push to ban combustion-engine cars by 2030 wins support

FRANKFURT -- A proposal to stop sales of new cars with combustion engines by 2030 has gained cross-party support in Germany's Bundesrat, the country's upper house of parliament, Der Spiegel reported.

German lawmakers should urge their EU counterparts in Brussels to push incentives for only zero-emission vehicles to be registered by 2030, the weekly news magazine said, citing a decision taken in a Bundesrat meeting.

"If the Paris agreement to reduce climate-warming emissions is to be taken seriously, no new combustion engine cars should be allowed on roads after 2030," it quoted Greens party lawmaker Oliver Krischer as saying.

A switch to sales of only zero-emission cars puts thousands of German auto industry jobs at risk since the powertrain of an electric car requires only a tenth of the staff to be assembled when compared with a combustion-engined equivalent, which needs more workers to assemble cylinders, spark plugs, and gearboxes.